The Evolution of Archer's Men

"They're in Walter White territory now." A season-five preview from the show's creator and stars.

Over the course of four seasons, the men of Archer have seemed to cement themselves into well-defined archetypes. But all that's about to change in the fifth season, premiering Monday, January 13 on FX. "We find out that ISIS has been spying without permission from the government this whole time, and they get shut down," creator Adam Reed told us recently when we asked about what's to come from everyone's favorite cartoon spy farce. "This coincides with them finding 2,000 pounds of cocaine, which they then decide to try and sell. So they get involved with Central American dictators and try to bring their espionage skill set to pharmaceutical sales, and it doesn't translate as well as they'd like."

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As a result, the ISIS crew is thrown into turmoil, with more than bizarre results. In addition to team's plan for financial solvency, Lana's pregnancy, Cheryl's new career, Mallory's upcoming marital problems, and sidestepping the government and trying to stay alive, the characters find their defining roles challenged. So we asked Reed and the show's voice talent how the men are handling all this, and whether we can expect them to grow as a result. (Hint: only a little.)

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Archer

Maybe it was the cancer, or maybe it's just a begrudging trudge toward maturity, but somehow Sterling Archer is starting to show a smidge more humanity and awareness. It's a trajectory Reed plans to continue exploring throughout season five. "We find out he's been secretly reading What to Expect When You're Expecting," Reed says. "And he offers Lana advice and guidance, none of which is appreciated. So he's invested in Lana's pregnancy even if she could care less."

But that doesn't mean Archer is a new man. As H. Jon Benjamin, the voice of Archer, puts it, "I think Archer takes trips to regular life, but I don't think he'd ever have the fortitude to stay there or move to that place. He'll try, but I'm not sure it's an honest try."

Benjamin thinks it's Archer's relationship with his mom that — in addition to being the central conflict of the show — is the very thing that gives him heart and vulnerability. But it's also the storyline that most lends itself to Archer's dysfunction this season.

"The situation they're in is all because of Mallory, so we're going to find out more and more that the organism [ISIS] is rotten from the head down," Benjamin says. "Things are getting crazier for them — they're in Walter White territory now. As for how Archer deals, well, he's sort of tried to cut ties with his mom in the past. I don't think that relationship is good for him. At some point you have to give up the ghost in a way."

That doesn't mean he'll escape his mom completely, of course. "I don't think he'll ever completely break out of his mommy issues," Benjamin says. "It's good fodder for the show to keep them at odds, and I think in a way it's an example of what can really happen, because very few people ever resolve their core issues. Besides, nobody wants to watch a show where someone is doing tai chi six hours a day and drinking health shakes."

Cyril

Things aren't getting any easier for Archer's favorite whipping boy, but Cyril Figgis isn't necessarily going to take things lying down anymore. "I'd really like to see him stand up and take charge," says Chris Parnell, who voices Cyril. "Archer just walks all over him, and he takes it."

Sounds like Parnell is going to get his wish — or at least, the start of it. "I just finished writing a scene where Cyril pulled a gun on Archer," Reed says. "The tension between them is definitely simmering — Cyril could snap and murder Archer at any moment."

Benjamin sees the love/hate relationship between Cyril and Archer a little differently. He thinks they're evolving together, in their own way. "I think things have changed a lot for Cyril since he became a field agent," he notes. "In the beginning, he was a typical, ineffectual shut-in office mole, so I think he'd always be looked down upon by someone like Archer. But after he started dating Lana, Archer took notice a little. I think Cyril has become more of a role model and somewhat of a parental figure to Archer."

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And it sounds like we'll get to see Cyril doing something in the field. "In the beginning he was just kind of bumbling, and then it was more about his sex stuff," Parnell says. "Thankfully all of that has died down. Now I think we're going to start seeing a bit more of him as an agent and who he's becoming in that role."

Krieger

Now that ISIS's offices are non-existent — which means there's no lab to speak of — what will become of their mad scientist?

"We're going to see more of Krieger," Reed promises. "And we're going to meet at least one of his childhood brothers that we've hinted at in the past. I don't know if you'd call him a clone or a brother... He's not a twin. Maybe an identical multi-tuplet? And remember — we don't know how many there are."

Of course, one of the things that makes Krieger so entertaining is that we hardly know anything about him, compared to his co-workers. And if Lucky Yates — who voices Krieger — has his way, that's how it's going to stay. "Do we really want to know more about him?" he says. "I mean, how far down in the hole do we want to go with that guy? I feel like the deeper we go, the darker things would become. That guy is into fked-up shit. He does horrible things to hobos, has these strange experiments, brought Archer's ex-fiancée back from the dead... I don't think we need to know his origin story. I like him being this thing that nobody is truly aware of."

Even so, Krieger's role within the organization is headed for change. Says Yates, "He's sort of this security guy now, taking on more of a technological role than a scientific one, setting up all kinds of electronic surveillance for the group when they move into a new base. But he's still that guy who wanders into the show, drops a line, and walks out again. He's like Kramer."

Ray

Of all the characters on the show, Ray's the one who's changing the least — but that doesn't mean he won't face some drama. Says Reed, who voices Ray, "I think deep down he doesn't really care about anyone at ISIS and what they're doing, so he doesn't get upset. Archer pretends he doesn't care, but he does."

"Ray is certainly the most together person in the group," Yates adds. "His only flaw is he keeps getting crippled."

We don't know how, or if, Ray walks this time, but one thing's for sure: He's going to get himself sucked into Archer's antics whether he likes it. "Archer's need for approval from Lana and Mallory spurs him on, which gets everyone else into trouble, and then the other men are reacting to whatever Archer has gotten them into," Reed says. "Let's be honest: The men, emotionally, aren't the most mature men ever."